• Charles Barkley reacted to Damian Lillard being traded to the Bucks with a special appearance on TNT
• Barkley supported the move but was shocked the Bucks managed to get it
• He spoke highly about the on-court partnership Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard can enjoy
Charles Barkley made a special appearance on TNT in his free time because the NBA just got shaken up. Damian Lillard was moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in a massive three-team deal that sent Deandre Ayton to the Blazers and Jusuf Nurkic to the Suns, along with additional pieces. Barkley was shocked that Lillard will be wearing a Bucks jersey next season.
“I am not totally shocked, I am shocked that he went to Milwaukee. It’s obvious that they will be the betting favorites now… They got a new coach, Adrian Griffin. He’s got a great team to start. It’s fair to say that the Milwaukee Bucks are favorites going into the season to win the NBA Championship.
The Bucks were definitely on the outside looking in over the two months of the Lillard trade saga. It was all about the Miami Heat until the Toronto Raptors also threw their hat in the ring. Ultimately, Milwaukee is the destination and a place that Lillard signed off on.
He inadvertently revealed he wanted to be teammates with Giannis for a title push in 2022 and gets that wish just one season later.
Charles Barkley Likes The On-Court Fit
Barkley approved of the duo being put together, touting the Bucks as title favorites. He thinks the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dame partnership will work really well if Giannis can find a better off-ball role in the offense, especially with the return of a healthy Khris Middleton.
“I think it can benefit both guys. Dame has always had to do everything by himself. It’ll be nice for him to play with somebody. Let’s not leave out Khris Middleton. The one thing Giannis will have to learn to do, and I always thought it was a weakness in his game, he’s got to learn to play without the basketball… When they won a championship, their pick-and-roll was Khris Middleton and Giannis. Now you’ll have Giannis and Dame? Man, that’s going to be explosive.”
Giannis is a pretty solid off-ball option and hasn’t shown selfish tendencies. Yes, his usage league was among the highest in the league last season but that’s because the Bucks had a lack of offensive options with Middleton’s spotty health.
In their 2021 title run and seasons before, Giannis clearly knew how to defer to Middleton to get buckets and now has Lillard as an option for the same. Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 33 games in an injury-riddles last season.
The Crunch Time Solution For The Bucks
Barkley thinks the biggest positive from this deal is that the Bucks have finally addressed their offensive problems in late-game situations. Using their first-round loss to the eight-seeded Heat as an example, Barkley explained how Lillard will lighten the load on Giannis.
“Look at the game that Milwaukee lost. Giannis missed 17 free throws. He’s not gonna have to do that anymore. He and Joker are the two best players in the world, but he missed 17 free throws in an elimination game and people are glossing over that. You can’t have your best player miss 17 free throws. With Dame and Khris, he won’t have to take 17 free throws. It’s gonna benefit everybody.”
Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists last season while Giannis averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
Combining two 30-point scorers with such different skills is a GM’s dream and Jon Horst has pulled a fast one to hopefully save the Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee after he urged the team to win now or watch him leave.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
